Hydraulic oil-press



UNIY S ATN OFFICE.

VILLIAM R. FEE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

HYDRAULIC OIL-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,402, dated September 13, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM R. FEE, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hydraulic Oil-Presses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In the common mode of expressing oil, expensive hair mats are employed. The meal is packed in bags which are placed in mats or books as they are sometimes called; the front end of the truss being left open, they are now put into the press; then as the pressing is well under way and the oil flowing freely, the pressman is compelled to stop the pump sufficient time for the oil to iow out, to avoid breaking the press. During this suspension, the cake arches or sets, and this arching or setting is so firm that it is extremely difficult to crush the arch and further to compress the cake.

Another difiiculty in the common use of hair mats and loosely fitting followers and trusses is that the cloth slides upon the cakes surface by the expansion of the cake lengthwise, and in sliding, smooths the surface and thus more effectually closes the pores of the cake.

Some oil-cakes are so hard as with difculty to be indented with a hammer. Therefore the press should b-e so constructed as to favor the escape of the oil, and my chief improvement relates to dies of a peculiar form, which, when united, form a follower with a perforated face and numerous passages to facilitate the complete expression of the oil.

I have found by experiments that followers with perforations at frequent intervals in the face communicating with oil passages, would allow the escape of the oil much more readily than hair mats, independently of any consideration of the great expense of the latter', and that the pressure when once applied could be continued uninterruptedly, thus preventing any arching or hardening of the cake.

My invention consists, first, in a new construction of follower, composed of peculiarly grooved dies, for oil-presses; second, in an improved construction of truss and third in a hinged box for packing the cake and adjusting it in the press.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a side view of my improved oil press. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Figs. e, 5, and 6 represent detached parts of my press.

My press is operated by hydraulic power, part of the hydraulic cylinder being shown at B, within which is the plunger O to move the follower in working the press.

Above the oil pan A, Fig. 1, of my press, is arranged t-he frame A in any suitable manner. VVit-hin this frame are placed several followers D, which rove horizontally and between which the oil cake O, is pressed, the oil dripping into the pan A. One of these followers D is xed to the end of the frame, and the others are movable in connection with slides L and L and guide rods M and M. The drawings show two sets of followers for pressing two cakes at once. The slide L, carries a. follower' on each side so as to press in both directions. The faces of these followers fit into the openings in the trusses K, and they are perforated, as shown in Fig. 3, for the passage of the oil. The dies of which the follower is composed, may be made of type metal and cast in the usual manner.

In Fig. 3, the ends of the dies are seen set together and held in place by the end plates P, to form the face of the follower. The edges of the dies are seen in Fig. 2, at D. In Fig. l, a side view of the dies is given, showing the funnel shape of the grooves Gr, so formed that when the dies are united conical passages are formed for the escape of the oil. These conduits G, are small at the surface where they come in contact with the oil cake and grow larger as they approach the oil passages d, in the center of the die, in order to prevent choking. When the dies are set in form the second series of oil passages 0l, is formed, communicating directly with the conduits Gr. The dies being placed in form are supported at both ends by the plates P, Fig. 3, which are placed in recesses and fastened by screws. The dies D of the outer rows are longer than the others, and are fastened into recesses by screws like the end plates P. Thus the form of dies constitutes a perforated or chambered follower through the face of which the oil can freely flow and then escape by l lateral passages d, into the oil pan A. The large number of the perforations or oilconduits Gr, upon the face of the follower and the funnel shape of these conduits greatly facilitate the expression and flow of the oil.

The trusses K, are made of iron cast in one piece, solid and Very strong; then they are bound by hoops E, of wrought iron, so that they may resist an extraordinary force without bursting. These trusses are cast with notches so as to fit between the bars A of the frame, and thus form a part of the press itself. Attached to the trusses are ratchet bars R, which engage with the pinions H. By this arrangement the trusses are moved to the right or to the leftwhen the crank H is set in motion.

In Fig. 5, is shown a hoop or hinged box F, into which the crushed seed or meal is packed, (in a bag or cloth,) so as to give form to the cake, fit-ting it to the trusses and followers in charging the press.A This hoop has two lingers F, a hook or clasp F, and a bail f.

The operation of my press is as follows: The hoops or hinged boxes are laid upon a table, as in Fig. 5. A bag of suitable size being filled with meal or crushed seed is placed in the hoop F, and a board or block, Fig. 6 is put upon the bag to press its contents fully into the corners of the hoop. Then by taking hold of the bail j', the hoop and its contents are placed into the press between the followers D, as seen in Fig. 2. By the crank H, the truss K is now moved forward so as to embrace the bag O, taking the latter from the hoop. Then the hoop F may be removed from the press by releasing the hook F. Both sets of followers being thus charged with a pressing of meal, hydraulic power is brought to bear upon the plunger C, ,and the pressing steadily advances without interruption to completion. The oil escapes freely through conduits G, which on account of their funnel shape are not liable to be clogged. The mouths of these conduits present themselves at short intervals all over the face of the cake, so that the oil has but a short distance to travel before escaping. No delay is necessary for the flow of the oil, and no time is allowed for the cake to set or harden. Therefore the oil can be more completely expressed, and the cake reduced to the smallest compass.

The form of my press may be somewhat varied or modified without departing from my invention.

I am aware thathydraulic oil presses are in common use, and that cast iron trusses Sound by wrought iron bands are not new;

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. The peculiar construction of the dies D and followers D, having the 'grooves Gr and conduits G and also the oil-passages d', to facilitate the expression of oil,`substan tially as set forth.

2. I claim the solid truss K, when made a part of the press, and worked by means of the rack and pinion, substantially as set forth, for the .purposes described.

3. I claim the hinged hoop F, for charging the press substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM R. FEE. lVitnesses:

N. BALL, FLAMIN BALL, Jr. 

